Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Making Homemade Body Lotions

Making body lotions at home do not require a degree in science to make. Body lotion making is actually a rather simple process. Making lotions at home can be a personalized experience others will want to know the secrets to. The lotions can be made with one's favorite scent or made specifically to help certain skin issues like extremely dry skin or overly sensitive skin, as well as making it with ingredients that are natural and not synthetic. Creativity and a few supplies are needed for making the lotions.

To begin the lotion making process, an emulsifying wax, water, oil, fragrance and a colorant if desired. Choosing the specific materials for the body lotion being made can be found at craft supply stores or through the Internet. Next, the materials that are used for making the body lotions should be washed thoroughly in order to prevent any contamination.

Here are some steps to create the ideal body lotion. Making body lotion is only a matter of following a recipe.

* First Step: Mix the chosen oils and water with the emulsifying wax. This will be the base for forming the remainder of the body lotion. In order for the water and oils not to separate, the emulsifying wax is necessary.

* Second Step: Next is to add the essential oils, used for scenting the lotion as well as for aromatherapy reasons which provide a feeling of well-being. After adding the essential oils, the fragrance oils may be added for the scent of choice.

* Third Step: The next thing to follow is the colorants if one chooses to use it. The colorants can come from natural sources such as powder extract forms of fruits, vegetables, spices or plants. Colorants may also be purchased from laboratories.

* Fourth Step: The last step is bottling the lotion. Jars, tubes, plastic containers may be used for body lotion storage, including a pump or using a squirt bottle may be helpful when looking for a container. Be sure to label the container with what it is as well as the ingredients used.

Keeping a record of what works and what does not with scents and oils will be helpful in making future batches of lotion. Some other ideas for body lotions is placing additives into it such as glitter or SPF for sun protection or even skin tinting. There are many recipes for body lotions made at home that can be found on the Internet. A more natural made body lotion can be made with olive or peanut oil and aloe vera that has been blended together. Adding Vitamin E capsules to the body lotion mixture will add extra benefits for the skin.

If a person is making the body lotions as gifts, try making some for the males as well. To make an after-shave lotion for the men, add one ounce of sage and one ounce of dried lavender leaves to two cups of witch hazel. Place the mixture in a tightly sealed container and place in a very warm area over a one week period of time. Strain the mixture and bottle again in containers acceptable for gift-giving.

Other ideas for gift-giving is to seal the container, if possible, with a wax seal, or perhaps a raffia bow with a nice tag. The containers themselves can be an attractive gift in themselves.